The Dog is Dead

DRAPED DOG DREAMING

I am in a dream. It is almost a nightmare. I have written about my bad dreams recently in the blog post Bad Dream Girl. http://liamlicks.blogspot.com/search/label/nightmare%20nights

Are the dreams better?  Yes, a little bit. I win sometimes and other times I forget the dreams. l  fight better and longer and don't give up. This one has me back in senior year in high school.  I think maybe because of our upcoming 45th reunion on June 22. In this dream yearbook pictures are being taken and I am told I am not dressed properly. I do not have the requisite pearls and draping. Yes, you read correctly.  Hmmm. I am arguing about the unfairness of my exclusion in front of a panel. They are listening. My usual nightmare elements of isolation, being left out, being treated unfairly and not having the proper tools all present. I hear a voice "the dog is dead" what? Who said that? The yearbook photographer? My thoughts spin away from pearls and drapes. Jumbled thoughts of dogs and drapes Again, I hear "the dog is dead." I struggle out of the unfinished dream into a confused consciousness. Two realizations meet in a crazy coalescence-I am not in the yearbook and I am being told  "the dog is dead. "The" dog.

IS THIS "THE" DOG?

This sounds personal. Our dog? Paul is standing in the doorway of the woman cave. What! Liam!!! Dead? Why, how? I feel a cold dread and a visual of Liam's stiff body somewhere in the house. No. 'That's not what I said.  Not dead....fed,"  Paul repeats "the dog is dead" which I now know to be "the dog is fed." I am not wearing my hearing aids; I take them out for my  klonopin nightmare world.

Hard to process. We usually leave a sign for each other so we will not feed Liam twice. We leave out the bag of greenies to show one of us has fed him. If we don't Liam will just go to the other parent for more.

WHICH ONE? UPSTAIRS OR DOWNSTAIRS?

I do not understand why I have been wakened for this news. For some reason Paul thought it important that I be told personally. I tell Paul that I thought he said the dog is dead and that is why I jumped and screamed about Liam. The dog is not dead, he is fed.

I have recently finished reading a book about hearing loss. Shouting Won't Help written by former New York Times reporter Katherine Bouton  part memoir, scientific reporting and little bios and interviews with famous people with hearing loss... see link for more   http://nyti.ms/YEr9UF
The book's last two lines strike home.
A conversation between Katherine and her husband
"When are we eating?" My husband says.
"Chicken," I answer.
 
Part of my yearly ENT visit includes a hearing test. I was there yesterday. On my way in, the technician looks down and says " I like your purple." or was it "I like your pocketbook."  I am wearing purple UGGS and my bag is hanging right near where she is looking. I usually receive compliments on my handbag, but am ready to glow in UGG praise also. I thank her. Maybe soon the answer will be revealed. It is. As we walk she continues. "I have 8 pairs." Okay has to be UGGS as pocketbooks/handbags do not come in pairs.

My test shows no further hearing loss. Holding pattern. Mine is described as an interesting loss. I like that. I do not want to have an uninteresting hearing loss.  My ENT doctor meets up with me for the closeout and says  "You are perfect in discriminatory hearing. You did not miss a word, only sounds." Really? Those were easy words they asked me to repeat..cow, sit, bell, sing.... My doctor says a word. could be Variation, No irrigation. wants me to irrigate my nose. My nose has its own issues. Too dry.

I CAN HEAR AND UNDERSTAND "SIT"

I am glad that

Liam is fine.

My hearing loss is interesting.

I am perfect in hearing small simple words

I do not need new hearings aids.

Irrigate.

Back to the nightmares and fixing those.

I AM FED, NOT DEAD

Woof, woof

Sweet Caroline

LIAM COMFORT DOG

      It is Monday, April 15, 2013.

It is tax day.

It is the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in baseball.

It is the day of several birthdays of family and friends.

This April 15 2013 is the third Monday.

and the third Monday in April is Patriots Day in Massachusetts. It commemorates the start of the Revolutionary War. The war began with the battles of Lexington and Concord which took place on April 19. The observance though is on the third Monday of April. For many years the Red Sox have played a game that day and the Boston Marathon is also held. This is a three day weekend for many as it is a state holiday. Here is a link for more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots'_Day

The day is going well. A cool sunny day. People from all over the world are running, walking, watching and waiting. The men's winner crosses the finish line in 2 hours 10 minutes. He is Lelisa Desisa Benti, a 23 year old from Ethiopia.  A little while later the woman's winner comes in at 2 hours and 26 minutes. She is Rita Jeptoo from Kenya and is 32 years old. Runners keep finishing and folks keep greeting and cheering. By the fourth hour- the elite runners are done and those folks coming are happy to finish and eager to join with family and friends waiting at the finish line. At almost exactly two hours after Benti wins the race there are two separate explosions near the finish line close in time. Those waiting at the finish line are down. The two blasts come from the side. The medical units are there for the runners, not the welcomers. The world is upside down-those watching need the help not those running. Injuries look like those we've seen in wars. The day is changed.

It is Tuesday April 16, 2013

Caroline Kennedy is on the Kelly and Michael show for her book
I think of Boston of course and Sweet Caroline-her song 
She is interrupted almost immediately by a special report on the bombings.

Later the Yankees come up with a tribute to their Boston rivals

The singing of Sweet Caroline at the stadium. It is certainly a NY rendition, a little all over the place and inconsistently delivered but that is how we do it.

It is Wednesday April 17, 2013

The comfort dogs are visiting Boston

Liam once again wonders if he can go. the comfort dogs have been deployed -some from Newtown-Luther and Ruthie and their friends. Those with mangled limbs are calmed by petting them. The hospital staff bends down to cuddle with them.

It is Thursday, April 18, 2013

The FBI has released two photos 

Someone knows these persons
see them here

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/us/boston-blasts/index.html

Liam waits to be deployed. 

LIAM OFFERING BEDSIDE COMFORT

He watches the comfort dogs at the bedside of a survivor and demonstrates that he can do it also.

PET ME

He needs some more training. Liam would leap on the bed or the people. Not acceptable.

Bruins game no words needed what started as one person became thousands.

Now that's the way you sing our National Anthem...

Boston Strong

Woof, woof

A New Landscape and an Old Tradition

SUDDENLY SUMMER, LIAM OUTSIDE

Liam's first rollover of 2013 happened this week, the second full week of April. A surprise. Happened earlier this year than prior years. We had the coolest March since 2001 and April has had wind chills in the thirties. Yet for three days this week we had a bit of summer and Liam did his happy roll.

SECONDS BEFORE THE ROLL

I recorded it on the second warm day. I missed it on Monday-Liam was so quick. I did not expect it. Unexpected also are the new noises and happenings of this spring. The gnawing whir of tall oaks being cut down.  Solid heavy logs falling from above as workers lower the pieces to the ground. Yellow crime scene tape cordons off broken sidewalks, the drone of drilling and hammering is the background noise of the season.  Dozens of tree trunks are dug out and carried away each day leaving rounded dirt mounds. The skyline of New Hyde Park is very different. Since the last sitting-outside days, the landscape has changed due to Sandy and subsequent storms. Trees and bushes that remain are bent and misshapen with branches cracked and pointing like weapons at passersby.Healthy trees are being taken down so their owners can live free from fear of crushed houses and downed power lines. We have homes being razed and replaced by strong taller structures. As I look up I see only sky and clouds. The sky used to include the tops of oaks and maples. Many gone. The still leafless trees allow a strong sharp sun to bake the grass and heat it to a pleasant temperature. I set up two lawn chairs in the center of the yard ignoring our not-ready-for-the-season patio furniture next to the house. I want to be right on the warmth.I know I have to grab this time because the weather will soon change back to chilly norms. Liam knows also and is eager to roll.  I am camera ready and off he goes.

YOGA UPWARD FACING DOG?

I snap and shoot. Cannot help but smile at this joyful tradition

LIAM IN THE FULL GLORY OF HIS ROLLOVER

On Wednesday night the weather changes with a fierce booming thunderstorm. Unexpected. It was supposed to skirt our area. No time to wrap Liam in his thundershirt and he hides under the PC table as we finish writing this week's LiamLicks. Later, as a second round hits, Liam joins us on the couch for Survivor-seems like a fitting show to watch as a pack of three.

Today we hear that Sandy has been retired as a usable name for Atlantic storms. See link below. The first name ever retired was Carol in 1954. I waited for years to have my name thrown back in the mix until I realized my name had been forced into early retirement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_retired_Atlantic_hurricane_names

For now, goodbye to summer and to any more rollovers this week

ENJOYING THE LAST DAY OF WARM GRASS

Woof, Woof

Watching and Waiting

WATCHING AND WAITING

I am in the ambulatory unit of North Shore LIJ. A routine wait for a routine surgery. Not mine. I am accompanying the patient. There are a series of waiting areas each designated for your specific type of waiting. I find a seat in my designated waiting area. It is facing the TV so I can watch if I want. I shouldn't have to as I have a kindle, iPad, 2 books and my blackberry. I can perform multiple functions on several. After I feel comfortable that I have claimed my territory I head off to the restroom. I take my backpack and bag. I leave our coats draped on one seat. I believe they are not trendy enough to be stolen. A very quick visit.  I return to find a woman sitting on the hoods and sleeves of our coats.What!! I don't know how she and they became a threesome but they now are. I count 27 of the 32 seats free and yet this person is sitting on parts of our coats. I try to pull them out from under her but she is on her cell giving me her back. Doesn't she feel the furry hoods, clasps and Velcro underneath? After much tugging, I succeed in freeing them. I move to an end with a large tree like the one pictured here. I am tree protected on one side and in back of me is a glass partition separating the play area from the waiting room. One child is playing and he has an older guardian. I decide to write about what is happening. I take out my iPad and start a blog story. The coat woman starts listening to her messages on speaker phone.The speaker phone is loud as are her responses. We all now hear and know every one of the exchanges. I decide I need a photo to accompany my story. A waiting room photo. However, when I stand to focus my camera the boy in the playroom knocks on the glass and announces "I am playing, sorry if I am bothering you."

AM I BOTHERING YOU?

His guardian joins him in being sorry for any disturbance. I explain to both I am not standing to complain about them, but to take a picture to include in my blog. I then complain to them about the coat sitter and tell them that she will be in my story. I think the little boy wants to be in it also. He is now.

MAKE A NOISE, MAYBE I WILL TURN AROUND

I decide I must have a latte or something like that. This will involve a very long walk to a little kiosk like cafe indented in the hospital wall.  I fear they will come out to announce the successful completion of the surgery  while I am gone. I leave the coats again, confident that they are not theft-worthy After a long walk through all the waiting rooms I arrive at the cafe. I check out the cafe supplies and spot some hazelnut coffee. The procedure seems to be that you pay for your cup and then go get your coffee and accoutrements. The cashier is facing away from me. How to get his attention without scaring him?  He continues to face the register. This is going on a few minutes. Suddenly he turns and staggers back "Wow, you scared me, maybe you should have made a noise" A noise? What kind of noise?  He explains he is not sure he would have heard even if I did make a noise.

YOU SCARED ME

He asks "Do you believe in selective hearing?" I say I do and because Paul is in surgery I use him as my example of a selective hearing person. I pay for my cup. Then go to the stand for the hazelnut. The carafe is almost empty and I only eke out a few ounces. I then add some regular, bringing the level to half. full.  Oh well. Then I take the half and half. Empty. I am screwed. I have to scare the cashier again as he is back to facing the register. What noise should I make? Woof, woof??  I pick words. "Oh hello, any half and half?" I say without a noise. He turns and brings a container. I guess that is selective hearing. He will selectively hear the question "any half and half?  and turn around. I now know the password.
I make it back to my waiting area. Our coats are there.

IT IS GOOD TO HAVE THE CORNER SPOT

I get settled, raise my cup of half hazelnut, half regular and half and half and at my first sip the tech comes out informing me that the patient is in recovery. "May I take my coffee?" I ask."Try it. They'll take it from you if it is not okay."

It is okay. Everyone in recovery is drinking. Hydration. I see Paul. I am tempted to say "Any half and half?"   and see if he looks up. I'll try that line at home. Time to pack up and go.

RECOVERY AT HOME

Watching and waiting over.

Woof, Woof

St. Paddy's Day Parade 2013

LION LIAM IN BOA, HE IS A LEO!

Again a Saturday. Yay. When March 17th is a Sunday, the NYC parade is on a Saturday, March 16... that is the rule and the reason is so we can attend religious services on Sunday. Saturday is the best for everyone as it is a non-work and no school day for most and the next day is the same. I am packed and ready to go-Liam is also ready
In my lime green backpack, I have extra beads, boas etc. to distribute among the group in case more green is needed.The New Hyde Park train station is obscured by crowds of scantily green clad teenagers. I fear I will not get a ticket as they all seem to have no clue how to buy a ticket. Those that can see the machine are having much trouble sticking dollars in the slot. The 9:35 train is announced to be on time. It is 9:41. All are in good spirits and we all make the train.

Our group meets at Penn Station and we subway up to 77th.  When emerging from the subway I never know which way is 5th Avenue but today it is easy as groups of the green covered folks lead the way. We arrive on 5th, sidle into the front row, lean on the barrier and are set. The parade is still coming. We find out later that the start is delayed 20 minutes. We are joined by a city dwelling newbie and now are complete;  ready to interact, watch, chat, tweet and take pix. We do all that. Turns out I took the boa wig and not the neck boa, a mistake I have committed twice. I suppose Liam is wearing the boa at home. We make do. Switching and borrowing until we are fine with our outfits. Following video is a collection of marchers, bands, songs and more...at around 6:11 minutes you will enjoy heavy snow showers

Amidst the cheering and hand slapping we have the annual Chuck Schumer visit to our group. Renée calls him and he runs to us, a flag between with his teeth to accomplish a hands on hello.

Senator Chuck Schumer and Renée

A grand effort. Thanks Senator Chuck

Liam stays home with Daddy Paul who has to pass up this year's festivities. The Kindle and remotes are ready to go for the home pack of two.I am not sure what is happening at home but I imagine a Guinness day and maybe some TV parade watching. Dogs do march in the parade- Irish wolfhounds.  They earn it as they work. Liam is not a working dog.

We subway down to Rolf's for our traditional post parade early dinner... a really cozy atmosphere. See why
http://rolfsnyc.com/www.rolfsnyc.com/Welcome.html
Actually one of the group likened the men's bathroom to a fun house. Yes, they do have corned beef. We get creative and substitute red cabbage. Inspired. Salty and sweet. Take note, Food Network.

POTATOES, CORNED BEEF AND RED CABBAGE

Not that everyone ordered it. We have some weisswurst (veal sausage) and sauerkraut at our table.

ROLF'S FAMOUS WEISSWURST PLATE

Corned beef is not originally Irish anyway, really.  The Irish were too poor to use cows for meat...  read
http://suite101.com/article/history-of-corned-beef-cabbage-a100084

It snows, rains and the sky is grey.  "We have weather" as they say in Ireland.

And then it is done. LIRR home for me with a group of raving drunken young men. The lead bellow-er is making animal noises. I think maybe a hyena.  He passes out after 10 minutes. The trip is 35 minutes. I consider his coma the luck of the Irish. Another St. Paddy's Day parade wrapped up. On Sunday the celebration continues...I have enough green to go for at least a week. If it warms up, make that two.

Sláinte
(Cheers, Clink)

GUINNESS AND LIAM

Thanks to Izzy for my unauthorized use of his food photos

Woof, Woof

Reading, Something in the Night

LIAM READING FOR THE BOOK CLUB PARTY

Next week I will participate in our library's semiannual book club party. We submit titles of books we have read, talk about them informally and then give an oral review to the group hoping to generate interest for a shared experience. Here is a preview of two of my three submissions. A third, RACK CANCER: sharing hope has been previously reviewed- see link
http://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2012_09_09_archive.html

I have said that the memoir genre is my favorite choice for a good read so I will start with one.
Yes, Chef: a memoir
by Marcus Samuelsson.

When I ate at Aquavit in the early 2000's, I was intrigued by the combination of chocolate and spice in a dessert. Somewhere I know I have a photo and a description. Not so unusual to mix sweet and spice now but more than a decade ago it was. I was told that the creator of the dish was Aquavit's young black Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson. Very up and coming. This memoir is his life story, so far. I say so far because he is now only 43. Adopted at three with his sister by a Swedish family he learns to cook by watching and helping his grandmother, Helga. Later he interns in Europe, suffers, fails, has a child, succeeds, comes to America, becomes an award chef winning at 24. And that is just the beginning. He has to buy back the use of his name from Aquavit's owner, he finds his Ethiopian family, he marries, he does the first state dinner for the Obama White House.  He opens his dream restaurant in the meat packing district. It fails. He opens Red Rooster in Harlem, it thrives, always "chasing flavors" he says. "Food's my only bag. It's my gig, my art, my life. Always has been, always will be."

"I represent so many things to so many people. In Ethiopia I am ferengi or "white" because I am an American of means. In Sweden, I represent "new Sweden," which to them means an integrated Sweden. In America, I'm black or African American or an immigrant; it depends. For me, the labels aren't as important as the journey. I took the train from Götesborg to Switzerland, from Switzerland to Austria, and back again. Along the way, I became a chef, a father, a husband, a mentor, and a friend."

"After all that traveling, I am, at last, home."

I recommend joining him on the journey.

Bruce
by Peter Ames Carlin

I also like biographies. They can be tricky. If the person is dead the author might have more leeway with his/her depiction of the person though it has not stopped unauthorized biographies of the living, both complimentary and not.  Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin is not exactly authorized but seems to have Bruce's okay. This book shows more of a real Bruce Springsteen. The author writes about the not so admirable actions and the character flaws of Bruce. A reviewer cautioned that we may not feel the same about Bruce after reading and that was meant for the "worshipers" which I might be. And I sure understand that can very well happen. I read Kitty Kelley's unauthorized bio of Oprah. It was a book club pick; I would not have selected it on my own as I know the author's proclivity for taking down idols in her celeb bios. My feelings changed towards Oprah. I now see her differently. I am coming back though. My pedestal for her was way too high for a human being. Then there was the The Last Boy about Mickey Mantle. Paul and Liam read it and during their sessions Paul would share passages. I have not yet read it. I am almost ready. With The Mick I always think what could have been.
The Bruce book does have more stories and conversations than I had previously known. It delves into his childhood-a difficult one, by living standards as well as by behaviors of the adults in it. Bruce's actions indicate a loyal friend, a powerful writer and a deep thinking man as well as a thoughtless, self-absorbed, cold man. I accept the package. All parts of a complex person. I like that he has been in therapy, fights depression, is evolving and uses his performances to beat out his demons. He keeps trying and knows his value to his fans. During each concert I feel transported and in communion with the audience and the band. At its end I feel  better than when I went in, every time. I can invoke that memory of the end of show Born to Run anthem whenever my natural Irish gloom descends or unwelcome dreams intrude upon the night.
Above I quoted Marcus and let his words speak. I'll do the same for Bruce-take a listen

                                                               Something in the Night

Woof, Woof